Written Answers Monday 25 September 2006

Scottish Executive

Anthrax

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many laboratory facilities there are in Scotland to test for anthrax and where they are located.

Mr Andy Kerr: There is no specialist NHS clinical laboratory facility in Scotland for anthrax testing. Any NHS bacteriology laboratory could potentially make a provisional diagnosis of anthrax where this was not clinically suspected, but confirmation of the diagnosis or handling of specimens where anthrax is clinically suspected is carried out by arrangement with the Category 4 facilities at Porton Down.

Care of Elderly People

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will resolve any financial difficulties experienced by elderly people and their families caused by care costs increasing while the personal care allowance remains fixed.

Lewis Macdonald: Work is underway to establish the actual cost of delivering these services to people in care homes, as part of our review of the implementation and delivery of free personal care. Funding for free personal care for those not previously eligible has increased by 51.4% between 2002-03 and 2006-07.

Care of Elderly People

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authorities have (a) been asked for and (b) provided information on the operation of their free personal care schemes and when the Executive expects to receive all such information.

Lewis Macdonald: All local authorities have been asked to provide information to the independent consultants who are carrying out the research. Their responses are currently in the process of being collected, collated and analysed.

Climate Change

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated total levels of CO 2 emissions in kilotonnes have been in (a) Dundee, (b) Angus and (c) Aberdeenshire in the last year for which information is available, broken down into the (i) industry and commercial, (ii) domestic, (iii) road transport and (iv) land use change sectors.

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated levels of CO 2 emissions in kilotonnes have been in (a) Dundee, (b) Angus and (c) Aberdeenshire in the last year for which information is available from (i) industrial electricity, (ii) industrial gas, (iii) industrial and commercial oil, (iv) industrial and commercial wastes and biomass, (v) domestic electricity, (vi) domestic gas, (vii) domestic oil, (viii) domestic solid fuel, (ix) road transport petrol and (x) road transport oil sources.

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated total levels of CO 2 emissions have been from all sources per head of population in (a) Dundee, (b) Angus and (c) Aberdeenshire in the last year for which information is available.

Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-28256 on 22 September 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Community Wardens

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many times community wardens have given evidence in court proceedings; how many wardens have given evidence, and how many times this evidence has aided in obtaining a conviction, broken down by local authority area.

Hugh Henry: The information requested is not held centrally.

Education

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what account is taken when national statistics are compiled of the achievements of secondary school pupils on courses other than those leading to public examinations.

Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive is determined to secure better recognition of wider achievement in school education. As part of the Curriculum for Excellence programme, we are currently considering how best to recognise the wider achievements of all young people across Scotland. We have a group currently considering how we can best do this and their work will contribute to a package of proposals which will be published in due course. This will include considering changes to performance measures, including National Statistics publications.

Education

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what recommendations HM Inspectorate of Education has made about incorporating achievement of secondary school pupils on courses other than those leading to public examinations when national statistics are compiled.

Peter Peacock: In  Improving Scottish Education , published in February 2006, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education reported that measures of attainment should be extended to include the broader achievements of young people. I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-28267 on 25 September 2006, which makes clear the work we are taking forward to do this.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliaments website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Fisheries

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has undertaken in respect of the impact on employment and productivity within the fishing industry of any clawback in pelagic quotas.

Ross Finnie: A socio-economic study has been undertaken to assess the potential impact of a range of payback scenarios and so inform matters currently the subject of international discussions with the EU authorities.

Fisheries

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what correspondence it has had regarding clawback in pelagic quotas.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has received a range of correspondence regarding clawback on this issue which, by its nature, covers a number of complex and sensitive issues (involving legal and commercially confidential matters), including an on-going criminal investigation, international negotiations with the EU authorities regarding payback of quotas, and liaison with fish Producer Organisations and their members on the management measures for their pelagic fisheries to ensure that the Executive meets its obligations under the Common Fisheries Policy.

Fisheries

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that a strategy exists for quota management in the pelagic fishing industry.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has established an industry-led Pelagic Strategy Group to consider the long-term future of the Scottish pelagic industry. It is hoped that this group will help develop thinking for a forward strategy for Scottish pelagic sector, in particular, focus on the need to manage the reputation of the industry both within the UK and the international arena.

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many accidents involving children under 16 occurred in the home in (a) the Scottish Borders and (b) Scotland in each year since 1999.

Mr Andy Kerr: NHS treatment for unintentional injuries may be provided in a number of health settings including general practice, accident and emergency departments and as an in-patient in a hospital.

  Data held centrally on patients treated in accident and emergency units and by general practice does not allow the identification of the place where the injury occurred.

  However, information is available for patients who are admitted to hospital as an emergency in-patient as a result of their injury. This is shown in table 1 for years ending 31 March 1999 to 31 March 2005.

  Table 1: Emergency Hospital Admissions1,2 as a Result of an Unintentional Injury, which has Occurred in the Home3 – Under 16 Years, by Area of Residence, Year Ending 31 March

  

 Numbers
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004
 2005


 Scotland
 4,727
 4,499
 4,166
 4,158
 3,789
 3,531
 3,428


 NHS Borders
 91
 107
 101
 89
 74
 63
 62


 Crude Discharge Rate per 100,0004
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Scotland
 471.5
 452.0
 423.0
 428.5
 396.7
 374.3
 366.5


 NHS Borders
 451.4
 532.5
 501.9
 440.9
 367.0
 311.4
 305.9



  Notes:

  1. SMR01 data are derived from in-patient and day case discharge summaries from non-obstetric, non-psychiatric specialties in general acute NHS hospitals in Scotland.

  2. Figures are based on episodes of care. Each episode is initiated by an admission and is ended by a discharge. A patient with more than one episode of care in any one year or across years will be counted each time he/she receives an episode of care.

  3. SMR01 admission type code 33 – "Patient Injury - Home Accident (including accidental poisoning in the home)".

  4. Rate per 100,000 population, General Register Office for Scotland.

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many accidents were recorded by accident and emergency units to have taken place in the home in East Lothian in each year since 1999.

Mr Andy Kerr: Data held centrally on patients treated in accident and emergency units does not allow the identification of the place where the injury occurred.

  However, information is available for patients who are subsequently admitted to hospital as an emergency in-patient as a result of their injury. This is shown in table 1 for years ending 31 March 1999 to 31 March 2005.

  Table 1: Emergency Hospital Admissions1,2 as a Result of an Unintentional Injury, which has Occurred in the Home3 - All Ages, by Area of Residence, Year Ending 31 March

  

 
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004
 2005


 Numbers
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Scotland
 19,869
 18,809
 17,962
 17,968
 17,325
 16,807
 16,632


 East Lothian
 274
 247
 214
 227
 209
 165
 203


 Standardised Discharge Rate4
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Scotland
 341.0
 326.4
 312.5
 311.0
 296.2
 286.2
 279.3


 East Lothian
 262.1
 255.4
 227.8
 224.9
 197.9
 160.8
 192.2



  Notes:

  1. SMR01 data are derived from in-patient and day case discharge summaries from non-obstetric, non-psychiatric specialties in general acute NHS hospitals in Scotland.

  2. Figures are based on episodes of care. Each episode is initiated by an admission and is ended by a discharge. A patient with more than one episode of care in any one year or across years will be counted each time he/she receives an episode of care.

  3. SMR01 admission type code 33 – "Patient Injury - Home Accident (including accidental poisoning in the home)".

  4. Directly standardised using the European standard population.

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many accidents involving children under 16 occurred in the home in East Lothian in each year since 1999.

Mr Andy Kerr: NHS treatment for unintentional injuries may be provided in a number of health settings including general practice, accident and emergency departments and as an in-patient in a hospital.

  Data held centrally on patients treated in accident and emergency units and by general practice does not allow the identification of the place where the injury occurred.

  However, information is available for patients who are admitted to hospital as an emergency in-patient as a result of their injury. This is shown in table 1 for years ending 31 March 1999 to 31 March 2005.

  Table 1: Emergency Hospital Admissions1,2 as a Result of an Unintentional Injury, which has Occurred in the Home3 – Under 16 Years, by Area of Residence, Year Ending 31 March

  

 
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004
 2005


 Numbers
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Scotland
 4,727
 4,499
 4,166
 4,158
 3,789
 3,531
 3,428


 East Lothian
 89
 95
 84
 82
 62
 59
 69


 Crude Discharge Rate per 100,0004
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Scotland
 471.5
 452.0
 423.0
 428.5
 396.7
 374.3
 366.5


 East Lothian
 487.4
 512.7
 448.0
 437.0
 331.3
 319.1
 373.5



  Notes:

  1. SMR01 data are derived from in-patient and day case discharge summaries from non-obstetric, non-psychiatric specialties in general acute NHS hospitals in Scotland.

  2. Figures are based on episodes of care. Each episode is initiated by an admission and is ended by a discharge. A patient with more than one episode of care in any one year or across years will be counted each time he/she receives an episode of care.

  3. SMR01 admission type code 33 – "Patient Injury - Home Accident (including accidental poisoning in the home)".

  4. Rate per 100,000 population, General Register Office for Scotland.

Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what treatment is available within the NHS for plagiocephaly, broken down by NHS board area.

Lewis Macdonald: The current treatment for plagiocephaly within the NHS, in each NHS board area, includes supervised "tummy time" while the child is awake, and reinforcing the "back to sleep" message, positioning the child’s head on different sides each night when asleep.

Hedges

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action can be taken by householders against landowners who allow land adjacent to their homes to become overgrown.

Tom McCabe: Under existing law, a person may prune back branches of a landowner’s hedge or vegetation overhanging his or her property but may not enter a landowner’s property without the consent of the owner. While we support in principle the need for a statutory remedy of last resort for people unable to resolve disputes over high hedges, due to competing legislative priorities we are not in a position to introduce legislation during this parliamentary term. However, we have previously indicated our support in principle for the member’s bill currently being progressed by Scott Barrie MSP and he will be carrying out his high hedges consultation soon.

Hospital-Acquired Infection

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-11273 by Mr Andy Kerr on 2 November 2004, how many cases of (a) MRSA and (b) other forms of staphylococcus aureus there have been in each year since 2003.

Mr Andy Kerr: Further to the answer to question S2W-11273 on 2 November 2004, there have been the following number of cases of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin sensitive S taphylococcus aureus (MSSA) isolated from blood samples since 2003. A new European monitoring scheme, EARSS (European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System), was introduced in 2004 and some additional MRSA cases recorded as a result of improved data capture are reflected in the figures for 2004 onwards.

  

 Year
 MRSA
 MSSA


 2003
 755
 1,259


 2004
 976
 998


 2005
 968
 1,019


 To March 2006
 274
 269



  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliaments website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Housing

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals were in mortgage arrears in each year since 1999 and, of these, how many were first-time buyers.

Malcolm Chisholm: Information on numbers in mortgage arrears in Scotland is not held centrally.

Justice

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the recent judgement by the Law Lords in the case of McFarlane v McFarlane , whether Scottish ministers intend to propose a change to the law in Scotland that determines financial settlement on divorce.

Hugh Henry: No. We are content that an application for financial settlement made in terms of sections 9(1)(b) and 9(1)(c) of the Family Law (Scotland) Act 1985 would be capable of attracting an award that reflects the Law Lords judgement in this case. Section 9(1)(b) allows one of the parties to a divorce to claim a net economic disadvantage suffered in the interests of the other party or of the family. Where this is proved, it is open to the courts to make a fixed sum compensatory award payable in lump sums or instalments. There is no three year or other limit on the duration of the period over which the instalments can be ordered. Section 9(1)(c) allows a claim to be made for the equal sharing of the economic burden of caring, after divorce, for a child of the marriage under the age of 16.

Meat Industry

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has sought a derogation from EC Regulation 853/2004 for Scottish minced beef.

Lewis Macdonald: This is a matter for the Food Standards Agency. The agency will shortly be discussing, with a stakeholder working group, whether stakeholders wish the UK to make an application to the Commission for a "national measure". The measure would only need to cover mince which is not sold directly to consumers as the rules do not apply to the direct retail trade.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any proven links between Borreliosis (Lyme’s disease) and ME and, if so, whether any routine testing is carried out for these diseases.

Lewis Macdonald: The Executive is not aware of any proven links between Borreliosis (Lyme’s Disease) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).

  Clinicians are expected to carry out tests appropriate to the range of symptoms presented.

NHS Waiting Times

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the maximum (a) in-patient and (b) out-patient waiting time was in each (i) NHS board area and (ii) hospital in each year since 1997.

Mr Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the question S2W-22085 answered on 20 January 2006 which provided information on out-patient and in-patient and day case waiting times for each quarter since 31 December 1997 to 30 September 2005 by NHS Board.

  Information on waiting times for a first out-patient consultation and in-patient and day cases treatment for each quarter since 31 December 2005 to 30 June 2006 by NHS board and information on waiting times by NHS hospital for in-patient and day case treatment on 30 June 1997 to 2006, will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 40469) as it runs to 23 pages. Out-patient waiting time information is not available by NHS hospital, as the out-patient Waiting List is only collected at NHS board level.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliaments website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Nursing

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurses currently employed by the NHS in Scotland will have reached their normal retirement age in each year from 2005 to 2020, broken down (a) into SRN, SEN, RMN or other qualification and (b) by NHS board.

Mr Andy Kerr: While Scotland has a slightly aging nursing and midwifery workforce, the age characteristics of this particular workforce are "normal" and "healthy".

  Table 1 shows the number of registered and enrolled nurses and midwives as at 30 September 2005, aged between 50 and 64, who will reach the retirement age of 65 in each year from 2006 to 2020. Table 2 shows the combined information split by NHS board.

  Table 1: Registered and Enrolled Nurses and Midwives Reaching Retirement Age (65)

  

 
 2006
 2007
 2008
 2009
 2010
 2011
 2012
 2013
 2014
 2015
 2016
 2017
 2018
 2019
 2020


 Scotland
 70
 112
 133
 176
 224
 473
 642
 617
 673
 756
 787
 868
 1,050
 1,145
 1,239


 Registered
 56
 88
 112
 140
 179
 400
 512
 489
 562
 634
 686
 766
 902
 997
 1,096


 Enrolled
 14
 24
 21
 36
 45
 73
 130
 128
 111
 122
 101
 102
 148
 148
 143



  Source: ISD Scotland.

  Table 2: Registered and Enrolled Nurses and Midwives Reaching Retirement Age (65) – by NHS Board

  

 
 2006
 2007
 2008
 2009
 2010
 2011
 2012
 2013
 2014
 2015
 2016
 2017
 2018
 2019
 2020


Scotland
 70
 112
 133
 176
 224
 473
 642
 617
 673
 756
 787
 868
 1,050
 1,145
 1,239


Ayrshire and Arran
 4
 7
 1
 12
 19
 17
 46
 31
 56
 49
 45
 54
 71
 74
 80


Borders
 -
 4
 5
 1
 6
 16
 16
 14
 11
 25
 22
 24
 26
 32
 27


Dumfries and Galloway
 3
 4
 5
 6
 11
 18
 22
 19
 25
 28
 35
 46
 44
 45
 45


Fife
 5
 6
 7
 11
 13
 35
 51
 45
 54
 56
 54
 58
 76
 92
 96


Forth Valley
 1
 3
 4
 8
 8
 18
 24
 26
 23
 35
 38
 38
 54
 39
 79


Golden Jubilee
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 2
 2
 -
 1
 -
 -
 6
 3
 4


Grampian
 8
 14
 21
 11
 20
 40
 83
 67
 72
 79
 91
 82
 87
 115
 115


Greater Glasgow
 20
 29
 27
 47
 54
 117
 140
 146
 147
 165
 189
 173
 264
 275
 293


Highland
 10
 8
 8
 19
 15
 32
 39
 43
 46
 59
 46
 61
 59
 55
 63


Lanarkshire
 2
 4
 12
 19
 15
 32
 48
 51
 68
 62
 76
 69
 92
 87
 93


Lothian
 11
 15
 22
 29
 22
 85
 95
 94
 79
 91
 103
 133
 136
 163
 160


NHS 24
 -
 -
 -
 -
 3
 4
 3
 2
 6
 5
 5
 5
 13
 14
 15


NSS
 -
 2
 -
 -
 -
 3
 2
 -
 1
 3
 2
 7
 3
 1
 4


Orkney
 1
 -
 1
 -
 3
 4
 2
 3
 5
 2
 3
 7
 4
 4
 6


Shetland
 -
 1
 2
 -
 2
 -
 2
 5
 2
 5
 4
 5
 1
 8
 7


State Hospital
 -
 4
 -
 1
 4
 1
 1
 1
 -
 1
 3
 2
 2
 2
 5


Tayside
 3
 10
 14
 9
 24
 46
 58
 60
 70
 83
 64
 92
 104
 118
 131


Western Isles
 2
 1
 4
 3
 5
 5
 8
 8
 8
 7
 7
 12
 8
 18
 16



  Source: ISD Scotland.

  This must be considered in the context of an increasing workforce. We remain on track to achieve and surpass the 2002 Partnership Agreement target of attracting 12,000 nurses and midwives into NHSScotland by 2007. Between September 2002 and September 2005 we recruited 11,504 nurses and midwives.

  The total number of nurses and midwives employed within NHSScotland is at an all time high. Nursing and midwifery staff numbers have risen to over 65,000 (headcount), including almost 47,000 registered nurses (head count). In addition, we have record numbers of nursing and midwifery students in training (9,726).

Police

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what extra resources have been provided to Grampian Police to provide security for oil industry facilities in the north east in each of the last five years and what plans there are to provide extra resources in future, in light of any heightened threat to national security.

Cathy Jamieson: Security requirements are taken into account in the overall allocation of resources to Grampian Police. It is an operational matter for the Chief Constable how these funds are best deployed.

  The policy of the UK Government and the Executive is not to comment on, or otherwise disclose details of, the resources that are allocated for national security issues.

Racism

Mr Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many racist incidents have been reported in schools since 2002 (a) in total and (b) broken down by local authority area.

Peter Peacock: This information is not held centrally. Under the Race Relations Amendment (Act) 2000, local authorities must have a Race Equality Policy in place. Local authorities must monitor and assess the impact of their policies including the Race Equality Policy on minority ethnic groups. Recording of racist incidents is one method of monitoring the impact of the Race Equality Policy. The majority of authorities instruct their schools to collect these statistics and provide them to the authority. They can be obtained direct from local authorities.

School Transport

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities ensure that there is provision of seat belts on all school transport.

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities provide supervision on all school transport.

Peter Peacock: The information requested is not held centrally.

Waste Management

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made regarding waste incinerator proposals for the west of Scotland.

Ross Finnie: We have asked groups of local authorities to submit Strategic Outline Cases outlining the infrastructure they think is required to meet the targets in the Landfill Directive on diverting biodegradable municipal waste from landfill. The Strategic Outline Cases include proposals for energy from waste. We are currently assessing these Cases. A copy of the Strategic Outline Cases, with certain commercial in confidence information removed, can be found at:

  http://search.scotland.gov.uk/search/pages/search/basic.asp?QuerySubmit=true&Paging=true&Page=1&QueryText=strategic+outline+case.

  Two groups of local authorities, North and South Lanarkshire and the Edinburgh, Lothians and the Scottish Borders are in the process of preparing more detailed Outline Business Cases on proposals to divert biodegradable municipal waste from landfill.

  It is, of course, always open to developers to put forward proposals for energy from waste plants and other waste infrastructure.